Dear Children,
Laundry is not done magically. Your dresser drawers are not bottomless like the drinks at Red Robin. They do not automatically refill when they get low on clean clothes.
Do you notice that your father and I share a laundry basket? You each have your own, but we two grown-ups with grown-up sized clothing have one.
Abby, please explain to me why I wash clothes every couple of weeks that I never see actually draped over your body parts. How does that work? And the next time I sort stinky, folded shirts, I swear, girl, you're doin' your own!
Alex, I am rather frightened that I wash a week's worth of laundry and fold two pairs of little unders for you. You have plenty. Wear them. Please.
Lee, considering that I have to beg, plead and order you to wear them at all, why am I folding a dozen of yours? And 'how because' your laundry pile is twice as tall as anyone else's, excepting Mom AND Dad's basket of three-times-as-large clothes?
Cora, thank you for your "help" sorting. Moving already-sorted laundry from one basket to another, however, constitutes UN-sorting. You're a very good helper. Now stop. And unless you're developing some sort of nighttime podiatric braille-reading program, get your cute, chubby, jammied foot off the book!
And everyone, the water stays in the tub. Towels may be used more than once. Unless, of course, they were used to take care of the water.
Much love,
The Laundry Fairy
Are you living my life? I mean, with a couple less kids, but the same laundry life?!?
ReplyDeleteACK!
And I happen to love the idea of braille by foot.
(Used to drive me buggers when people would ask if I read braille... "umm, why?" Then it would be funny just for kicks to reply "yes!" :)
Hey Dyann! I've been following your blog in my Google Reader for quite awhile but I just had to come here to comment on this. My 9 year old daughter had been standing behind me, reading what I was reading when I pulled up this post. I told her she definitely needed to read this one, but after she got through the title and first couple lines, she turned and sprinted from the room, with me reading it out loud behind her! Apparently, she doesn't want to be reminded that the Laundry Fairy has feelings too! :-D
ReplyDeleteLove your posts! Glad you're all doing well! Can't believe you have 4 cutie kids! Say Howdy to Steve from me! :-)
Yikes, that picture and your words sound all too familiar! There must be something about boys and underwear. Maybe they think their hineys are self-cleaning and they don't need to change their underwear? Yuck.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for linking up, I love having you join in!
Apparently I've spawned two children who are--so far--as fastidious as I am about laundry, so I will refrain from comment other than to say I am so, so sorry.
ReplyDeleteLet me ask, after further consideration--do you have the kids help sort their dirty laundry? I know you've been having a problem lately with them being motivated to do chores, so I'm almost hesitant to bring this up, but... I've found with Jimmy and Audrey that ownership seems to breed better behavior/increased cooperation.
ReplyDeleteLaundry maintenance is one of the de rigeur chores at our house. Daily Jimmy (7) and Audrey (2-3/4) are expected to put their dirty clothing in a hamper in their room every night after putting on PJs, and then every Friday a.m. they have to help sort it by color into baskets before I take it down and launder it.
I've never had too much incidence of them taking clean things out and dirtying them or leaving them lying around, once I got after them a few times about it. Our laundry volume has increase dramatically lately since Audrey has been potty training, but it's still been pretty well organized because part of the training has been for her to put her own wet clothes over the edge of the hamper if she has an accident.
It's always tricky to find what works with your particular kids. Good luck, and hang in there. If you get to the end of your rope, tie a noose and start lining up the suspects! ;)
this letter was so funny!!
ReplyDeleteava is the one whose laundry pile is the tallest. i swear that girl wears four different outfits a day. just in the last month or so i have felt on top of the laundry situation in my house..thankfully.